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When to take a pregnancy test
Hard to believe, but most women are mistaken about the correct timing before taking a reliable pregnancy test. This is what an IPSOS survey shows: 6 out of 10 women do not know when to use a pregnancy test. Many believe they can get tested before their period is due and 2% even think that the test is feasible immediately after a report. If you’ve just blushed because you care, now is the time to read the following … Do you know exactly when to take a pregnancy test? The day after unprotected sex? From the first day of late period? Rather in the morning on an empty stomach or quietly in the evening? The best time is not always what you think …
When can I take a pregnancy test during the cycle?
At the Paris Family Planning Association, Catherine, a marriage counselor, advises young girls coming to consult her towait at least 15 days since unprotected sex to perform a urine pregnancy test. On the packaging of these tests, it is also generally advisable to wait at least 19 days after the last report. Until then, you can also check to see if you already have any pregnancy symptoms.
If you have regular sexual activity, especially because you are trying to get pregnant, the best is wait at least the first day of the missed period, or the expected date of menstruation. Knowing that the longer you wait to take the test, the more reliable the result will be.
How do pregnancy tests work?
In pharmacies or supermarkets (often in the drugstore department), you will find pregnancy tests individually or in pack form. These tests are based on the search for a hormone secreted by the egg: the hormone chorionic gonadotropin or beta-hCG. Even if the pregnancy hormone beta-hCG is secreted as early as the 8th day after fertilization, its quantity may be too small to be immediately detected by a screening device sold in pharmacies. The risk of taking a pregnancy test too early is therefore to miss a pregnancy. As the amount of beta-hCG then doubles every other day or so until the 12th week of pregnancy, the majority of obstetrician-gynecologists therefore recommendwait for the estimated date of menstruation, or even the 5th day of late period before taking a test.
The risk of a “false negative”
Some laboratories marketing this type of self-diagnostic device claim to be able to detect pregnancy up to 4 days before the expected date of menstruation (which is true, since it is possible), but at this stage, there are very strong chances of missing out since the test is just as likely to show that you are not pregnant while you are. This is called a “false negative”. In short, the less rush you are, the more confident you can be about the reliability of a pregnancy test result.
In video: Pregnancy test: do you know when to do it?
What time of day should I take my pregnancy test?
Once you’ve figured out what the best day in your cycle would be for a pregnancy test, the next step is to choose the most suitable time of day. While it is often recommended by obstetricians and gynecologists (as in the leaflet for urine pregnancy tests) to take your test in the morning, this is because urine is the most concentrated when you wake up and thus has a higher level of beta-hCG.
However, urine pregnancy tests can be done at other times of the day, as long as you haven’t drunk too much before, which could dilute the hormone levels in the urine and falsify the results. .
As a general rule, whether you take your test in the morning, at noon or in the evening, in the event of a proven pregnancy and if you have waited until the 15th day of late period, the chances of missing the correct verdict are extremely thin if the procedure in the product’s instructions for use has been followed.
Positive or negative pregnancy test
Two cases are possible:
- Si your test is positive : you are undoubtedly pregnant, because the risks of “false positives” are very, very rare!
- Si your test is negative : repeat the test a week later, especially if you did the first very early.
When to take a blood test for pregnancy?
If your test is positive, make an appointment with your doctor, a private midwife or your doctor. He will give you a prescription to be reimbursed by Social Security allowing you to perform a blood test. It also allows to detect the presence of hormone Beta-HCG but also to measure the quantity. By comparing the figures to averages, you will be able to clarify theprogress of your pregnancy.
Good to know : for those who follow their temperature curve, when there is pregnancy, instead of falling, the temperature remains high beyond 15 to 20 days. With no period, it can be an early sign of pregnancy!